Member
Weight Plates
Hi,
There is a lot of criteria to look out for when buying a decent olympic bar, but is it the same for weight plates or will the standard cast iron plates get the job done? Without me having to pay extra for fancy plates, bumper plates, plates made of zinc etc.
TMPHBITEU
It depends on what you're going to do with the plates. If you want them to squat, bench, press, or deadlift, they must merely have a specified mass. It's handy if they're accurate, it handy if the ID is tight on the bar, but you can get by with shit if you have to. If you're doing the Olympic lifts, most people want bumpers.
Member
Originally Posted by ibbz786
Buy once, buy right! I had a couple of shitty sets until I finally broke down and got a nice set of bumpers. They're not Eleiko's, but Body Solid bumpers are great for home use and guaranteed for life. I have jusy about 400 pounds worth. Plus, bumpers give the option of many olympic lifts. I have a decent bar, but plan on getting the B&R bar this year. I spend a lot of time in my garage and at 50, have come to realize that proper weight training is one of the best things you can do for your health.
The point is this - IF you are serious about training, and plan to do it for a long time, it is cheaper in the long run to buy decent equipment. Better to buy one time only, than to replace broken or crappy gear.
Member
Rippetoe,
Have you had the chance to use any of the new(er) York "Legacy" plates? How about Ivanko's OM standard 3 rib deep dish plates?
I'm currently in the process of replacing my crappy USA Sports 300 lb set. I want quality plates that are accurate, fit on the bar snugly, etc. I imagine anything would be a step up from my current plates that are inaccurate, fit on the bar sloppy, and came pre-rusted "new" from the factory. I'll be buying a new replacement 300 lb set plus an additional 6 45's. It will most likely be either Ivanko OM's used or York Legacy's if I buy new. Your thought, input, and any personal experience you may have with these plates before I make a final purchase would be appreciated.
TMPHBITEU
I haven't seen the Ivanko plates, but if by York "Legacy" you mean the old style with the wide rim, I have an old set we don't use in our Starr Monument in the gym.
Member
The stack with the barbell in it?
And no, not exactly. York came out with a set of high end plates a while ago they call Legacy. They're supposed to be of higher quality than what they have been putting out and resemble their old plates more, the ones you mentioned. Milled, +/- %2 claimed weight, old school black, etc.
Retail price they're quite costly for iron plates. As far as I know. But I've found some reasonable prices online, and since I don't plan on needed to replace them any time soon. I'd rather pay a little more for quality plates, than end up with more of the starters I original got.
Member
I have the York Legacy plates, and they are all within 4 oz. of their stated weight except one 45 (which is 6oz. under), with the 5# and 2.5# all within 2 oz. I used a good postal scale to weigh them. Their paint chips a bit easier than I hoped (about like other cheaper plates I have), but they are fairly good on their inside diameter (tight and seem uniform). Overall, they are nice plates. Made in China, like all the rest of today's iron plates (w/ the exception of some rubberized hex plate crap). If I lived in a more populated area, I would still have preferred to hunt on Craigslist for older machined plates. You can get a lot more iron for your $ if you don't have to pay shipping and used versus new. Unfortunately, all that comes up where I am are used Weider sets and the like.
If you go the York Legacy route, you can get them at a good discount through one of the York reps (Allison Foreman). PM me if you are interested & I can dig up her contact info from my old e-mail with her when I bought mine. They are still pricey, but a bit less painful that way.
The machined Ivankos look like nice plates, and I had considered them. I can't remember for the life of me why I preferred the Yorks at the time.
Member
I'd recommend cheap bumpers if the financial means are there. It's nice for training Oly movements and it simplifies squatting (you can dump - no need for a spot).
Member
Thanks for that for reply. I'm in the same situation. I live in Bedford, Ohio and all I have seen on Craigslist are the same plates I currently have. At asinine prices too. On the rare chance I do find a good deal, like 1000lb of plates for a few hundred. The listing is e-mail only, or text only, etc. and they never reply. Or they'll reply once, answer a single question from the handful I'll ask, and then I never hear anything from them again. It's like they list their stuff but don't actually intent on selling it, or even trying.
The Ivanko plates I found are 0.85 a pound and since they're in Lancaster, PA and I don't have access to a truck that could make the journey worry free. I'd have to pay shipping, which works out to be about 0.44 a pound by freight.
You probably picked the York Legacy plates for the same reason I'm considering them over the Ivanko plates. York old school black iron. Powerful nostalgia, even for those of us that didn't train, or weren't even alive back then.
I have, and still am thinking about bumpers. However, I could buy considerably more iron for less. With cheap bumpers you also run into limited bar space. From what Rogue has told me, 4 45 Hi-Temp's is the max you can fit onto a bar. That's $540 plus shipping for 360lb.
I don't do Crossfit, the only Olympic type movement I currently do is power clean, I train in my basement which gives me limited height due to the low ceiling, and I don't want to become overzealous just because I can dump the bar, only to wind up bending my new B&R bar. As has been stated several times here by Rippetoe, Stef, etc. bars do and will bend with bumpers when/if not dropped properly. I don't know about you, but I can't see myself guiding a bar down properly when dumping it in a back squat. I also don't want to have to replace really cheap bumpers every year or sooner. Sure bumpers look cool and less things break when you use them and do need to dump the bar, but are they really worth it or even needed in my situation?
I have no problem power cleaning with iron plates. As Rippetoe said, they were using iron plates before bumpers, and I'm not an Olympic lifter nor am I running a gym. So iron is looking good enough for me.
Member
Ok thanks for the replies and information all, I am going to buy the B&R men's bar soon hopefully and I live in the UK. Currently I have some Body Power Olympic cast iron plates, they were the best I could find within my price range. Does anyone here from the UK use these plates and the on the B&R men's bar? Are they a decent fit? If not which plates fit well onto this bar that won't break the bank.
By the way Rip what is ID?
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